New Home!

I have moved this blog to Wordpress. The new URL is:

http://fitbusinessmanifesto.wordpress.com/

Come join me there!

High Intensity Lower Body Tri-Set Routine

I wanted to share a lower body tri-set routine I did last night that is likely to leave you, well, let's just say.. a little sore.

A tri-set is a set of three back to back exercises. In my case, I was focused on hamstrings/glutes/low back, what's called the posterior chain.

I started moderately heavy in weight and moved progressively heavier with each successive set. I did 5 total working sets for 15 total sets. I rested about 2 1/2 minutes in between each set. All of this was completed in about 45 minutes. I finished with some ab exercises.

The exercises included:

Dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts - In my case, I started with 70 pound dumbbells and ended with 90 pound dumbbells. I did 8 reps/set.

Followed with little to no rest by..

Standing 'single leg' leg curls (done on the standing leg curl machine) - I used about 5 plates and did about 10 reps/leg/set.

Followed with little rest by...

Leg press with a very high and wide stance (feet high and apart targets hamstrings and adductors). I used 3-4 45 pound plates/side for 10 reps.

If you do this right, you will probably be dripping with sweat by the end of the tri-set.

Have fun with this or some other combination you create!

What are GMOs?....

GMOs...

Short for genetically modified organisms; also known as genetically engineered foods. Yummm... sounds good, doesn't it?

To create a GMO, scientists inject a host organism (a plant) with a foreign gene that will help it resist pesticides, pests, or freezing.

Scientists also inject a virus or bacteria to encourage the foreign gene's invasion and an antibiotic marker gene to determine if the process worked. Because debate over the safety of GMOs continues, the FDA provides testing and regulation updates. But, the U.S. government doesn't require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The only way to be sure you're not eating GMOs is by choosing products either specifically labelled as such or by choosing products from certified organic producers who, compliant with USDA guidelines, do not use genetically modified seeds or ingredients.


Article courtesy of Penton Publications

Fit Tip #5

Giant Sets are your friend!

What is a giant set you ask? A great way to "mix things up" at the gym. It consists of 3 or more exercise sets done in straight succession with little to no rest.

These are almost guaranteed to make you sore - in a good way.

I usually pick related muscle groups to develop the set, e.g., back and biceps; chest, shoulders, triceps; all legs; etc.

Example from tonight's workout:

Dumbbell bicep concentration curls, followed by T-bar rows, then chin-ups, then low rows, then lat pull downs.

I went from one exercise to the other with virtually no rest in between. I rested for about 3 minutes after the giant set before beginning another one. I did this 4 times for 20 total working sets.

You can get a lot done in a little time with giant sets. All of the above took less than an hour to complete.

"Challenge" yourself to a good giant set workout the next time you're in the gym.

Fit Tip #4

The body craves "mixing it up" whether in the gym, on the track, on the treadmill, wherever. It's very important to regularly change up your gym or workout routine. Individuals who continue to progress and improve are ones that are very aware of this and change up their routines frequently. I'd suggest at least every few months. Changing it up could be including new exercises, different forms of cardio, changing the tempo or number of sets/reps of your lifts, etc. Consider a different variation on an old standard next time you're in the gym. One example of this - a squat variation - is the Zercher Squat.

Muscles targeted: glutes/hamstrings/quads/low back

Execution - place bar in power rack just above elbow level. Place the bar in the crook of your arms clasping your hands together to help support the bar/weight. Keep arms and elbows close to your body throughout the lift. Unrack the bar. Keeping your back arched, chest up, and shoulders pinched together, squat back and down until your elbows touch your quads (thighs will be about parallel to ground). Come back up and repeat.

Fit Tip #3

Hack squats are OK when done on a machine (how most do them), but even better when done with a barbell (more stabilizing forces/ muscles are at work in the free weight version, such as traps and abs).

To prepare - stand in front of barbell. Squat down and grasp barbell from behind with an overhand (or overhand/underhand) grip.

To execute - lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension. Do not lock out your knees at the top. Back will be straight throughout the lift with your chest high and shoulders held down and back. Descend until bar touches ground and go up again.

The Dirty Dozen/ Newest Contributor!

Not sure about you, but I don't welcome ingesting a nice, hearty helping of pesticides along with my food. I typically try to buy organic wherever possible. I frankly do not care what the research, the FDA or any governmental body says. At one point we all thought saccharin was fine, too, until they determined it was carcinogenic. Organics are expensive, but you ARE worth it! And the environment is worth it. Let's all try to lessen our footprint on this earth, just a bit. There is particular list of organics that are particularly important to buy - they are the ones that test highest for pesticide residues. They are as follows:

• Peaches


• Apples


• Bell Peppers


• Celery


• Nectarines


• Strawberries


• Cherries


• Kale


• Lettuce


• Grapes (imported)


• Carrots


• Pears

The idea is to try to buy these wherever possible. Conversely, there is set of produce that isn't as important to buy organic as they test lowest for pesticide residues; they are:

• Onions


• Avocados


• Sweet corn


• Pineapple


• Mango


• Asparagus


• Sweet Peas


• Kiwi


• Cabbage


• Eggplant


• Papaya


• Watermelon


• Broccoli


• Tomatoes


• Sweet potatoes

Food for thought the next time you are at the grocery store. Of course, local, organic produce is best, as transport costs (environmental burden) are less and it is that much fresher. Also, I personally try to buy all meat, eggs and dairy organic, too.

Now on to some news I think is exciting. My former trainer Chad Hackler will be contributing to this blog periodically. He is like a brother to me. We fought like brother and sister at times, too - but I love him dearly. He truly is trainer extraordinaire. He has trained and still trains numerous pro athletes and many looking to get into the pros. He also trained one of our most beloved former Dallas residents, Angie Harmon. His body of knowledge is extraordinary. I look forward to contributing with him on this blog.

Fit Tip #2

Over the years, I've had many people ask me how I might have gotten a particular result, maybe it was a particular aesthetic result or an enhancement in strength, etc. In most cases, I have shared what has worked for me.. and that is I follow the "no excuses" path. There is virtually no situation in which I don't go to the gym or workout on a designated workout day. I have been consistent in doing this for nearly 10 years. If I am truly ill, I don't workout. In all other circumstances I do. What I often see or hear is people wanting to attain a particular fitness goal, yet they allow a busy day, headache, etc. to derail them from consistency and progress. It's a humorous thing in a gym... gyms get busy after the holidays, then it drops off and people come back in for spring break and then typically you don't see this particular set of people until the holidays again. But these people fail to achieve sustained results over time, because they are only focused on short term results. The people I have known who have had exceptional fitness/wellness results are the ones that do a routine day in and day out over the long haul. So the next time you have a crazy day and feel that spending more time at work may be worthwhile, you may want to re-think. You are worth that time at the gym or engaging in whatever physical activity you wish to decompress and improve your health. Just a matter of getting there and doing it... until next time..

One person can make a difference....

Was incredibly inspired by simple, brief interaction with a sales clerk at a health food store in Maui, Hawaii. Upon checking out I saw a poster - apparently made by herself - showing the enormous mounds of trash that made up one of the Maui landfills. I'd asked her what the poster was about - what point she was trying to convey, other than that the pictures were horrifying.. beautiful, stunning Maui with out of control landfills on its premises. She was drawing attention to all the plastic bags that we use for groceries, most or all of which end up in that or other landfills. It's not that I had not thought of this before - I have several canvas bags that I can use to put groceries in. What drew me in was how passionate she was about sharing this message. She was quite direct and authoritative about minimizing our wastefullness on this earth. Inspired me to pull out those canvas bags and start using them... and that one person/ voice can make a difference...

Fit Tip #1...

Thought I'd start by sharing regular updates on things that work for me as relates to diet, training and nutrition. Hopefully, this will evolve to two-way discussion where "readers" share their inputs on things that have worked well for them as well..

Tip #1:

Definition:
Compound Exercise -
An exercise that involves two or more joint movements.

An example of an excellent compound exercise is the basic squat movement with a free weight bar. Squats work glutes, quads, hamstrings among other stabilizing muscle groups.

What's worked very well for me is to have the majority of exercises that comprise my weight workout/routine to consist of compound movements versus isolated, single joint movements, such as a leg extension. I still do isolated lifts, but majority of my lifting consists of these compound movements. More bang for the buck, if you will.

Example from tonight's workout: deadlifts and goodmornings

New to blogging...

Having been inspired by the movie Julie & Julia and by my creative friend Emily's relatively new knack for blogging, I've decided to tackle my own blog. Will plan to focus on areas that pertain to my own personal interests, namely those pertaining to fitness, health, diet, nutrition and assorted business issues and topics. Look forward to tackling this new genre.... now, on to figuring out how to do all of this... Here's to many months of blogging and hopefully eventually a few, good readers who share similar interests.

Tracy